New copyright bill to duplicate C-32: Tories

Tory MP Dean Del Mastro said the copyright modernization bill the Harper government pledged to pass in its election platform would essentially
be a duplicate of the previously introduced ­ and controversial ­ Bill C-32. (CLIFFORD SKARSTEDT/QMI Agency Files)

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Canada's new copyright reform legislation will look a lot like its earlier versions, Conservatives say.

Tory MP Dean Del Mastro said Tuesday the copyright modernization bill the Harper government pledged to pass in its election platform would essentially be a duplicate of the previously introduced ­ and controversial ­ Bill C-32.

That means no iPod tax, but artists say it also means less compensation for copyright holders.

"You don't stand in the way of the good to enact the perfect," said Del Mastro, who sat on the special legislative committee scrutinizing C-32 in the last Parliament.

The committee had over 200 witnesses scheduled to weigh in on C-32 and heard from scores before Parliament was dissolved in March.

"I didn't hear a lot that was overly critical of the bill," Del Mastro said, noting he felt many critics simply misunderstood elements of the complex bill.

The Tory MP said Canadians should only expect small technical tweaks when the Conservative government re-introduces the legislation later this year.

New Democrats, meanwhile, vow they'll continue to push for amendments.

"We've had a problems with the bill in the past and we want to get it right," said NDP MP Charlie Angus, who sat with Del Mastro on the House committee. "We will go clause by clause and negotiate with the government."

Consecutive Liberal and Tory governments have been trying and failing since 2005 to bring copyright law into the digital age. The bill promised by the Conservative's this time around will be their third shot at updating the law.

"We fully intend on following through on this promise," Heritage Minister James Moore said Tuesday through a spokeswoman.